Warp Core Values
by samishion
Summary: in which an unnamed OC is the wife of the Enterprise's dying Captain.


**A/N:** this has been on my deviantART account since this past May and I'm just getting around to posting it here. this obviously takes place towards the end of Into Darkness and I would recommend listening to Buying the Space Farm from the soundtrack on repeat while reading this as that's what I did when I wrote it and I could not stop crying. oh boy. on with the story, then...

It was absolute chaos. The Enterprise was falling to Earth, the shields offline. All seemed helpless. To make things even worse, (Y/N) had been made First Officer in the instance that the ship's actual First Officer had been appointed Acting Captain due to their actual Captain having been off-ship. Said actual Captain just so happened to be her husband.

She'd protested greatly when he brought up the idea of jumping ships with the very man who was the cause of their current situation. Yelling, hitting him on the chest, even resorting to clinging to him and refusing to let him go, insisting he was the biggest idiot she'd ever seen, to which he smartly reminded her that he was _her_ idiot. He'd then told Spock and Bones to look after her, leaving her to huff and insist she wasn't a child and that she could look after herself, _thank you very much_, even with the temper tantrum she'd just thrown.

She knew that Jim, Carol, and Scotty had been teleported back to the Enterprise but they had yet to make an appearance on the Bridge, and she couldn't leave at a time like this.

"James Tiberius Kirk, you are in a world of trouble…" She muttered to herself as she worked, trying to help Sulu get the shields back on…

… when the ship suddenly righted herself and they were steered back up through the clouds.

Her head snapped up and her eyes caught Spock's. The rest of the Bridge was cheering, claiming it was a miracle, but they both knew better. There was no way the ship could have just magically regained complete power by itself, not with the Warp Core in the state it was in…

(Y/N)'s eyes flashed wide and before she could say anything, Scotty's voice was coming over the comm.

"Engineering to Bridge, Mr. Spock,"

"Mr. Scott," Spock replied, his eyes still locked with (Y/N)'s.

"Sir, you'd better get down here. You better hurry," Scotty's tone was urgent, frantic… solemn.

(Y/N) was out the door off the Bridge and darting down the halls to Engineering before Scotty even got the chance to finish speaking, Spock following close behind her.

When they arrived, the look on the Scotsman's face was heartbreaking. His eyes quickly darted to the side a bit, to a small glass door in the wall which they knew was the pathway to the ship's core.

"Open it," Spock demanded, (Y/N) already shaking her head in denial, tears in her eyes as she made her way to the door and knelt beside it, seeing none other than her husband on the other side, shutting a tunnel door and coming to the glass.

"The decontamination process is not complete; you'll flood the whole compartment. The door is locked, sir," Scotty informed the Vulcan, sad eyes finding where (Y/N) was against the door, already in tears.

Spock soon joined her, kneeling beside her as they both looked at Kirk who seemed to be slipping away more and more with each passing second.

"How's our ship?" Kirk asked, his eyes moving between the two of them sluggishly; his best friend and the love of his life.

"Out of danger," Spock assured him, not entirely familiar with the growing sting in his eyes.

"Good…"

"You saved the crew."

"You used what he wanted against him," Kirk countered, trying his hardest to grin but failing, a whimper leaving (Y/N)'s lips, "Nice move," He continued, his heart breaking even now at the pain he was causing his wife.

"It is what you would have done," Spock insisted.

"And this… this is what you would have done. It was only logical," Kirk murmured, his eyes closing.

"Jim…" (Y/N) whispered, placing a hand on the glass, desperate, as he opened them again, letting her see that brilliant blue, "Please…"

"Hey… I had to… please don't cry, sweetheart…" He whispered in reply, using all of his strength to raise a hand of his own and press it against the glass opposite where hers was, wishing nothing more than to be able to feel her touch one last time, "It was the only way I could save you."

"Please, James…"

"I love you so much, sweetheart," He told her as her hand slipped away and she broke down completely, his eyes moving to the Vulcan beside her who had been watching and listening silent, "I'm scared, Spock. Help me to understand… how do you choose not to feel it?" He asked quietly, shaking.

"I do not know. Right now, I am failing," Spock murmured, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"I want you to know why I couldn't let you die," Kirk whispered, his breath coming in shorter gasps, "Why I went back for you."

"Because you're my friend," Spock replied simply, raising his hand to the glass now, meeting Kirk's reflected in the Vulcan salute and the two of them could only watch as their Captain slipped away, his hand falling from the glass and his chest ceasing to rise.

Scotty quickly moved over to gather (Y/N) in his arms, tugging her away from the glass she was currently pounding on weakly with her fists, crying out for her husband. Her head fell against his chest and Scotty supported her, knowing if he let go she'd collapse.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Uhura run in and heard her gasp, her eyes going to Scotty in a silent question but he could only shake his head. A hand flew to the Lieutenant's mouth, tears gathering quickly in her eyes as she moved her gaze to her boyfriend still kneeling by the door.

Spock shook in anger, screaming the name of the man who had done this before running out, clearly on a mission, and Uhura followed, though much slower, knowing she'd never be able to stop him in what he was doing. To be perfectly honest, she didn't want to, either.

The only sound left to be heard in the otherwise silent room was the muffled sobs of (Y/N) Kirk, mourning the man beyond the door.

Her best friend.

Her only love.

Her husband.

Her other half.

Her Captain.


End file.
